The present invention relates to a cocking and uncocking mechanism for a firearm with a spring-loaded firing pin that engages with a catch that can be released to fire in the cocked position, the catch being displaceable by an actuator element between the cocked position and a safety position uncocking the firing pin spring.
Such cocking and uncocking devices are used particularly for temporarily securing an already loaded weapon, e.g., for transport or while hunting. To leave the safety position, the catch must be recocked against the force of the firing pin spring, which is why such safety devices are simultaneously used as “handcocking systems.”
In known designs (z.B. AT 409 548 B), the actuator element is connected to the catch by a lever linkage, with which the force for cocking the firing pin spring is exerted. This has the disadvantage that the force F to be exerted on the actuator element, corresponding to the spring characteristic of the firing pin, increases approximately linearly with the actuation length S, as illustrated in the diagram of FIG. 4. This renders usage of the actuator element, e.g., a cocking slide or wheel, extremely laborious. Moreover, the actuation force is greatest precisely in the area around the cocked position, which makes actuation of a catch or release device for engaging or disengaging the actuator element in the cocked position more difficult.